Going back to the start
by Raising pleasant cain
Summary: Valkyrie goes back in time but to where? She meets the dead men and sees how they become the famous warriors they are today. Ok so this is pre-Valkyrie leaving but post-darquesse.
1. Prologue

**Valkyrie goes back in time but to where? Ok so this is pre Valkyrie leaving but post darquesse.**

 **Prologue:**

They had been chasing after a device. A time travel device. They had tracked the woman to a warehouse at Dublin docks, near where serpine made the white cleaver, where they were going to arrest her and get the time shifter.

They did fairly well until it came to getting the time shifter. Valkyrie moved to pick it up but as she reached for it the woman, exie **(real name)** , muttered "thabhairt di an óige cnámharlaigh". **(For those who don't know Irish this means 'bring her to the skeletons childhood.').** A spark shot up and hit Valkyrie's hand. She felt the same as when someone teleports except it was if she was being pulled gently backwards.

It was dark until…


	2. Meeting Miss Ezra cain

**Haley =** **Ingenious. Gall = stranger. Sean = grace of god. Saraid = excellent.**

Valkyrie landed in an empty ally and moved to the entrance carefully. As she walked forward she noticed her clothes had changed. Instead of her black jacket and trousers she had a simple black dress and what felt like a corset. She could feel her boots though. Valkyrie looked around the street. It was filled with stalls and she guessed she had been brought back in time. She thought of what the woman said. _thabhairt di an óige_ _cnámharlaigh._ She remembered enough irish to know this roughly translates to bring her to the childhood of something.

"Damn." She muttered looking around. "What the hell am i going to do?"

Valkyrie watched the people rush around.

Her eyes came to rest on three boys strolling near the edge of the crowd. One was wrapped up in a scarf and had a hat pulled low over the top of his face. The boy in the middle had shaggy black hair and shining blue eyes. But it was the person at the end that shocked valkyrie. He had almost blue black hair and dark green eyes. He looked over, saw her staring and smirked. She glared but he had turned to the two beside him. They looked over and laughed at him. He looked back and flinched at the look he was receiving. The wrapped up lad said something and he shook his head fiercely. The boy laughed again and walked towards her. Valkyrie backed up as they approached causing him to slow and raise his hands.

"Hello miss. We saw you watching us. Do we know you?"

He sounded just like ghastly.

"I'm… I'm not sure." She admitted.

"How can you be not sure if you know us?" The green eyed boy asked.

"Well I don't know your names so I could be mistaking you for someone else." She snapped.

"How could you mistake me?"

She screamed on the inside. Who knew skulduggery could be so cocky?

"I'm sure there's lots of cocky, big headed lads around here."

The blue-eyed boy burst out laughing.

"Oh don't get me started on you." she whipped around to him.

"Would you like to tell us your name?" the wrapped up boy asked.

"You go first."

"Why should we?"

"I have more to lose. You lot obviously live here so it won't matter for you. People will help you."

They glanced at each other before he nodded.

"Alright. I'm Gall Bespoke, this is Sean Pleasant and he's Haley.

She sighed, "And there I was thinking we were being truthful. If that's how we're going then I'm Saraid Cain. Can I know your real names now stranger, grace of god and ingenious?"

"How would you know all of our names meanings?"

"My pa- my teacher taught me that names are power and that you should always know what a name means to determine if they're lying."

"Damn. Well tell us yours and we'll tell you the truth."

"Oh for goodness sake ghastly bespoke! Stop this-"

"How do you know my name?"

Valkyrie froze and pressed her lips together tightly. They moved forming a circle and blocking the only exit.

"Start talking."

Valkyrie scowled and sat down. "No."

A huge black dog appeared where the blue-eyed boy had been and Valkyrie glared at ghastly.

"Get your guard dog to back off or there WILL be trouble."

"So you are magic. And I'd hate to break it to you back there three of us and one of you."

"Ah yes but I'm special."

"How?"

"Oh no no no! I want your names, what year it is and where we are and then I'll tell you a few things."

They green eyed boy 'Sean' sighed. "Fine. I'm skulduggery pleasant and this is hopeless. The years 1643 and your in south Dublin. Near haggard."

"My name is Ezra Cain."

"You're Ezra?"

"Isn't that what I just said? Do you know me?"

"My mother said we were having a guest over. Ezra Cain. I was to hang out here and get you."

"Right. Okay well sorry for threatening you. A girls got to stay safe."

"You still have explaining to do miss Cain." Ghastly said.

"You want to know why I said what I did I'm guessing?"

"Well I was going to ask if you were seeing anyone but sure." Hopeless said changing back.

"Take a hint from your name dear. Ok so I had my true name dragged out of me and my magic comes directly from the so-called 'source'. It is purer than any witch or warlocks. I would show you but I'm guessing by the way you backed me into this ally that we're in a mortal village."

"We are. Why wouldn't you be able to show us here?" Ghastly asked his defences going back up.

"I've never been one for subtle and my magic mirrors that."

"I wouldn't say that. You subtly got us over and then down this ally."

"It was my natural beauty that brought you over and you backed ME in here."

"Don't forget modesty." Skulduggery muttered.

She flashed him a winning smile, "Modesty is subtle showing off."

 **Present time. (Ghastly's PoV)**

He slammed open the doors to the elders chamber and stormed in.

"Where is she?!" skulduggery roared.

"If we knew she would have an army going to get her with you at the head so calm down." China said calmly.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? I'll calm down when she's back in this time!"

"And that won't happen if you're not focused."

"Mr. Bespoke has some information for us." Bliss said.

Since darquesse it's been him and china on the council. They hadn't found a third elder yet. Ghastly stepped forward.

"Skulduggery do you remember the girl your family took in back in 1643?"

He paused and nodded. "Miss Ezra Cain."

"Can you remember what she looked like? A tall girl with long dark hair and a very sharp tongue."

"The same girl who brought the dead men together."


	3. Sorry!

**I just want to say that schools starting soon for me and I'm juggling a lot of things so my stories will be getting a bit more infrequent. I'll try to keep updating so please stick with me! ~ Scarlet.**


	4. Where we learn more

**I have realised I never mentioned that skulduggery has a little pill that gives him his skin for a day at a time. I have borrowed (stole) this from Miss nerdy skeleton.**

Valkyrie gasped. Ghastly, hopeless and skulduggery had brought her to a huge country house. Skulduggery glanced at her and smiled.

"It is very nice."

"You could fit a bloody army in there." She breathed her brow crinkling slightly.

"Better watch what you say around Mrs O' Connell." Hopeless warned grinning.

"Mrs O' Connell?"

"My mothers name. Do you know anything about why you're here?" Skulduggery asked bemused.

She sighed. "No. I have no clue why I would be sent here."

 **Back to present.**

"Why are we here?" Saracen asked following ghastly, Dexter and skulduggery.

"Yeah why are we here?" Dexter agreed.

"Do you remember one miss Ezra Cain?"

"Of course. Did you find her?"

"Saracen, Ezra doesn't exist. Valkyrie was pulled back in time a few days ago. Remember the last time we saw Ezra?"

"She had convinced us to stay together and keep doing what we did. She said it and when we agreed Anton asked her if she would like to be the eighth member." Saracen paused and smiled. "She told us she couldn't yet but someday. Ezra disappeared what? A week? Less, after."

"She never aged. She seemed 19 up to the day she disappeared. You guys said when she appeared she was 19 and all the time you knew her she stayed that age. We never did replace her. We said we would keep it for her." Dexter mused smiling.

"We think she will do what she did and then return."

 **Past again!**

"You never did tell me how you knew my name." Ghastly prodded sitting in the living room of the O' Connell mansion.

"I didn't."

"Are you planning on telling us?" Skulduggery asked leaning forward.

"You'll find out one day." She said sadly watching him frown.

"This vagueness is infuriating. I hope you know that."

"I do."

"It won't stop you will it?"

Ezra's **(I will be calling her Ezra for the sake of my little amount of sanity.)** eyes turned sad but she smiled. "Of course not. If I stop you will expect an answer and I can't give you one."

"But-"

"Skulduggery pleasant! The poor girl doesn't need you hounding her!" A motherly woman barked from the door.

Skulduggery blushed and sat back in his chair. The woman turned to Ezra and softened. "Come on va-Ezra dear."

Ezra frowned but stood. "See you guys later…"

Once she was out of the room the woman hugged her. Ezra felt everything wash over her and she sighed.

 _Why is it always me?_

When the woman pulled away she smiled.

"You're probably wondering why I hugged you."

"Just slightly."

"Rorsa spoke to me. She said she had a vision of a young girl who would go by the name Ezra Cain who needed help. She said you were from the future and would need help to go back."

"I know I should ask how you know these things and why I should trust you but who is Rorsa?"

The woman laughed. "Rorsa is the name of Mr. Bespokes mother. She said you already knew a good lot about us."

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

"I just want to know, does he survive? My son? Any of my children?"

Valkyrie bit her lip and furrowed her brow. "I know that skulduggery does, I'm very close friends with him, but I never asked about his siblings. It never came up."

"He'll live? You promise me he'll live?"

"Yes. I promise you, no matter what he always comes back."

 **I took so long on this but I have lots of ideas for it! ~Scarlet**


	5. Meeting (some of) the family

**NOTE:**

 **Valkyrie/Ezra is talking strangely because she is trying to seem like she's from that time but doesn't really know how.**

Destiny nodded and sighed. "I shall leave it to skulduggery to introduce you to the twins, his sister and his brother."

Ezra smiled and went back to the sitting room. The three boys glanced over at her and skulduggery raised an eyebrow.

"Leaving?"

"No destiny was saying hello and told me she'd let you introduce your siblings."

Skulduggery scowled and crossed his arms. "Well you can find them. I refuse to be your tour guide."

"Now, now brother that's no way to treat the lovely lady." A voice came from the door. It was smooth but rough around the edges and had a playful tone.

Ezra turned and smiled. Standing in the door way was a dark brown haired 20 year-old with amber eyes.

"You must be skulduggery's brother. Don't look like it but you must be."

He laughed at this.

"Pleasure missus?"

"Cain, Ezra Cain. And your name is?"

"Damien Mercer. Now I believe you wanted a tour?"

Hopeless scowled and ghastly grinned.

"You two always have to steal them from under my nose." Hopeless sighed sadly.

"Oh so you were charming her."

"More like bluntly asking if she has a boyfriend." Skulduggery teased.

"No ones charming me. You're all idiots talking about me like a prize. I always win." Ezra said bitterly. "Ghastly you wouldn't happen to know where Mrs. O' Connell would be?"

Ghastly grinned and nodded. "Want me to show you?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

He smiled walked out. Ezra moved by Damien catching him in the stomach with her elbow. He groaned and she walked out with ghastly.

"She's mean isn't she?" Skulduggery asked smugly.

 **Back in the present**

A group of people were in the meeting room, five men and a woman. Well, four men, a woman and a skeleton. The skeleton was pacing angrily.

"What do we do?" he asked, still pacing.

"I sure as hell don't know."

"She's stuck in the war and we don't know if she comes back or not. So you sure as hell better help."

The skeleton said his voice course.

"This won't do anything men. Go talk to the woman. She'll be conscious now, if we're lucky."


	6. What are you?

Ghastly and Ezra walked into the Tearoom and destiny smiled at them.

"Everything alright?"

"I was wondering if I could go to my room? I haven't any other clothes with me right now but-"

"Don't worry about that we will be going to the tailors tomorrow morning. I will give you one of my girl's nightgowns for now. Have you met anyone yet?"

"I was just speaking to Damien but I haven't seen anyone else."

"Well you can see them in the morning. Ghastly dear would you mind terribly if I asked you to ask that devil hopeless if he has a home to go to and if so to go there."

"Of course Mrs."

* * *

Ezra followed Destiny down corridors and around corners and then they stopped outside a cherry wood door.

"This is where you can sleep."

"Thank you."

Ezra opened the door and sighed. _Peace._

"I will have one of the servants wake you and bring you to the morning room. Please bare in mind they are only mortals. Even if they do know about magic it can scare them."

"Thank you so much Mrs. O' Connell."

"It's Destiny. And please, enjoy."

Ezra closed over the door as she slipped inside. _Damn. What the hell am I going to do?_

She went over to the bed where there was a small, light blue dressing gown. _Shit._

* * *

When she was dressed and sitting on her bed she started practising her magic. She had wondered if her magic would be affected. She had been doing it for a while when both Damien and Skulduggery burst through her door. Ezra, who had given up on sitting neatly and was leaning against the bed throwing a light bolt up and down, yelped and dropped the light on herself.

Skulduggery jumped forwards to help Ezra but she swatted him away, standing up.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

"We saw flashing, we though you might need help..." Damien muttered watching her, "What _are_ you?"

"Other than insulted?"

"Other than insulted."

"I'm… I'm just Ezra." She said helplessly, emotionless.

"That's really not good enough _just Ezra_."

"It's good enough for Destiny."

"Well I'm not my mother. I want to know who you are and why you're here! If not you can go back to your own family!"

"Ever think that I might not be able to?" Ezra asked still calm and icy. It was a mask she had perfected against the insults years ago.

Damien visibly flinched and Skulduggery took his place.

"How did you know Ghastly's name?"

"I just did."

"Why can't you go home?"

"Because I can't."

Skulduggery watched her with the same face he used criminals, when he was wearing his facade, back in her time. She knew most people would spill their guts at this look but, being used to him, Ezra looked back steadily.

"It won't work you know. That look. I'm used to it now."

"And how could you be used to it. I've only just used it on you."

Ezra pressed her lips together and watched him placidly.

"Ah, so we've met before?"

"What would make you think that?"

"Please don't insult my intelligence."

"I'm not. If I was going to insult anything it would be your stutter, or your co-ordination."

"I don't have a stutter. And my co-ordination is fine."

"You did have one. And I've seen better."

"How do you know that?"

Ezra shrugged.

 **Back in the present:**

The woman hadn't been helpful. Other than the point she was cowering from Skulduggery's silent anger she said she couldn't bring Valkyrie back until she had finished her purpose of being there.

"She knows the basic rules. She won't tell anyone who shouldn't know. It was always meant to happen! I'm sorry!"

* * *

Skulduggery strode out and started back to the meeting room.

"Well?" Dexter asked looking over as he entered.

"'It was always meant to happen' according to her."

"How come I never heard about Valkyrie? Or met her for that instance?" China asked looking up from an ancient tome she was reading.

"Valk- _Ezra_ didn't want to be heard about. No credit, no attention. Obviously now we know there was a reason. She knew we wouldn't recognise her but she wasn't certain for others."

A pause.

"To be fair not many of the people we worked with protested too much against her 'no credit' rule. She really hated people judging her age." Anton pointed out from his seat.

"What do you mean by that?" China asked impatiently.

"Never looked a day over eighteen no matter what. We guessed it was her magic. Everyone else assumed she was so kid running head first into trouble." Ghastly explained.

"Ah. So her respect for authority never changed."

"Not completely. Few people got her respect."

"She had a lot of influence on how we all met."

Saracen glared at them. "No. Do not bring that up."

"We'll get her back."

 **You all hate me now! I'm so sorry! I heard about SPX and then got pulled into all three SuperWhoLock fandoms and it's been so hard to get back into this!**


End file.
